


Zerhys Prompts

by CheebsyCho



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Multi, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Zer0, Other, Shenanigans, Trans Male Character, Trans Rhys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-09 17:57:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18922153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheebsyCho/pseuds/CheebsyCho
Summary: This is a general collection of prompts that I get on tumblr that last one chapter.  Anything longer than one chapter will be in it's own mini story.Prompt: yolo, zerhys prompt. “He's my assassin, not yours.” (maybe ft. katagawa, even if hes just a mention, idk) im terrible at prompts lol





	1. Knight Rhys

Zer0 didn’t know why they were doing this.

No, scratch that, they knew exactly why they were doing this. 

Zer0 looked up at the entrance of Maliwan. If they hadn’t been wearing their suit, a look of annoyance would be visible on their alien face. See, the reason they were here was a semi long story. The current CEO of Maliwan had recently threatened war against Atlas, the largest and most successful corporation currently residing on Promethea. Now normally Zer0 wouldn’t give a crap about corporations disputes. They weren’t a very political person, all they cared about was getting the job done and receiving any rewards promised to them. However, this was different. See, when your boyfriend happened to be the CEO of said largest corporation on Promethea, it was easy for your perspective to change. Maliwan’s threat of war was. . . inconvenient. Plus it was causing Rhys to stress out, and when Rhys was stressed, that meant less kisses and cuddles and Zer0 could just NOT let that slide! Zer0 would normally just let their boyfriend handle everything in relation to his company (unless it had to do with killing) but when Rhys had called them and asked to if they would accompany him to this CEO meeting as a personal favor, well, who were they to say no?

The only issue right now was that Rhys was late. Very late.

Zer0 let out a sigh as they called Rhys on their Echo. It took a moment, but eventually he answered Before they had a chance to say anything Rhys quickly spit out “I know what you are going to say but I swear I am almost there!”

“I believe that you / stated you were ‘almost here”/ ten minutes ago.” Zer0 stated, their mask displaying a “:/” emoji.

“I know but this time I am REALLY almost there! 5 minutes tops!” Zer0 shook his head, unsure if they could believe him at this point. “Can you do me a favor?”

 

“This is a favor.” Zer0 pointed out in reference to them being here in the first place. 

Rhys pouted on the other end. “You know what I mean.”

Zer0 sighed. “Depends what’s needed of me.”

Rhys smiled. “Could you maybe go in there and-”

“No. >:(“ Zer0 responded, breaking the haiku.

The pout appeared on Rhys face again. “Please? Just let him know I’m running a little late and, I don’t know chat him up? This Katagawa guy has been a real pain in my ass but I would really like to avoid all out war if I can. Please Ze? I’ll love you forever.”

“You already do.”

“I’ll love you even more!” Zer0 wanted to decline again, but it was hard to say no after seeing a look of pure distress on Rhys’ face.

“Fine. If you’re not here in ten/ minutes I’m leaving.” 

“Deal! Thank you Ze, I owe you big I promise!” Zer0 didn’t say anything more, just followed up with a few emojis in quick succession. 

“:/” “<3” “8===D” “(*)”

Rhys’ red face could be seen over the communicator as he exclaimed Zer0’s name in embarrassment. Zer0 chuckled, before hanging up. 

It was now or never. They walked into Malwain with little issue. It seemed that security had been expecting them so they walked right in, ignoring the whispers between the guards of their strange appearance. They were directed directly to CEO Katagawa’s office.

Upon hearing someone enter the room, Katagawa turned around grinning. “Rhys- I wait, you’re not Rhys.” The grin faltered a bit, but did not completely disappear.

“No, I am not him / Rhys’ is running behind now / He shall be here soon.” 

Katagawa sighed. “The CEO of Atlas, late for such an important meeting? A bit unprofessional don’t you think? See this is why Atlas would run so much better under Maliwan. When he does finally arrive I can simply add this moment as another reason why he should just give up Atlas and merge with me.”

Zer0 didn’t quite enjoy the way Katagawa was ribbing into their partner, but since they didn’t want to risk angering the other CEO without knowing what Rhys plans were, they stayed silent. 

Katagawa however, took that as a cue to continue talking. 

“I mean Rhys seems kinda scatterbrained you know? Not exactly fit to run a whole cooperation. I mean, everything that happens to him is kinda based on luck don’t you think? If even half the rumors about him are true, everything that he has now is just due to luck! Finding the deed to Atlas, discovering alien technology to help build the company, and you.”

If Katagawa could see Zer0’s face, he could see that they were glaring. “What are you saying? >:( ”

Katagawa laughed. “I mean it’s pretty obvious right? Zer0- it’s Zer0 right? The only reason that you stick around with Rhys in the first place is because he has money right? There is no denying that you are a huge factor in his success! Any obstacle in his way and he can just rely on you to take care of it for him right? I doubt he does any of his own fieldwork.” Katagawa was getting closer. “That’s the only way to explain why you’ve stuck around so long isn’t it?” 

Zer0 stayed silent, their fist clenched. The only thing keeping them composed at this moment was not wanting to ruin this meeting. This is why they hated diplomacy. One swift cut and Katagawa would be dead in moments and they wouldn’t even have to deal with this war issue. However Rhys insisted on doing things the “right way”. Zer0 questioned silently how the “right way” was more efficient. 

Katagawa grinned again, now he was breeching Zer0’s personal space and there was no guarantee they could keep it together at this point. “Say, how about you work for me? Leave Atlas and Rhys. Whatever he pays you, I’ll double it. I can also provide you with better tech, maybe some sword upgrades? I promise I’ll make it worth your while!”

That’s it, they were gonna kill them. Just as Zer0 reached for their sword, they heard frantic footsteps behind them and the next thing they knew, Katagawa was on the ground clutching their cheek. A question mark appeared on Zer0s helmet before they noticed that the person who had delivered the bunch was their boyfriend.

“Hey! They’re my assassin not yours!” He yelled as he grabbed Zer0s hand. “Fuck you Katagawa there is no way in HELL I am handing you Atlas or my date friend! If you want war, then you got it! Prepare for battle bitch!” And with that Rhys pulled Zer0 out of Maliwan headquarters.

It took a moment for Zer0 to fully process what they fuck just happened, but when the did, a smug “:)” reflected on their helmet. “‘Your assassin?’” Rhys turned towards Zer0, letting go of their hand. His face was red with a mix of embarrassment and anger. “Well I mean you- you’re not MINE because I don’t, own you or anything, you’re your own person. I just- sorry I just got carried away and that guy was just being an asshole-”

“I know what you meant :D” Zer0 reassured.

Rhys let out a sigh of relief. “Good good.” He paused, and then groaned. “Oh my god did I just declared war?” “Yes.” “On Maliwan?” “Yep.” “And I punched him!?” “Definitely.”

Rhys groaned again. “I can’t believe I did that. I can’t undo this! I was suppose to go in there and have calm discussion! Jeez I don’t know what came over me.”

“My knight in shining armor. <3” Zer0 jokes. 

Rhys nudged them. “You’re not helping.”

Zer0 shrugged and grabbed his hand again. “Let us return home. / You can worry about him / tomorrow morning.”

Rhys frowned. “Zer0 I can’t, I have to go back to Atlas and-”

Zer0 shushed him. “Tomorrow. Tonight / we cuddle and focus on / self care. You need rest.”

Rhys seemed hesitant, but eventually he nodded. “Alright. I’ll worry about it tomorrow.” They walked in silence, completely content with each others company. “You know I REALLY hurt my hand when I punched him.”

“I know :D”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I slipped up with pronouns anywhere please let me know immediately so I can fix it! Sometimes I’ll accidentally use Rhys’ him/his pronouns because I think I’m talking about him but I’m really talking about Zer0, same with Rhys


	2. Sleeping In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: If you want to, some domestic Zerhys fluff would be so nice

Zer0 opened their four bright red eyes groggily at the sound of an alarm. Normally they would wake up naturally before their alarm went off. They were usually an early riser, but all they wanted to do currently was stay in bed. They heard Rhys shift next to them in response to the noise. Quickly they turned over and turned off the alarm clock. 

5:00am.

They had a mission with Axton, Krieg and Maya today. It wasn’t a huge mission, but it involved killing a bunch of bandits and a little vault hunter bonding was always an added bonus. Normally, they would jump at the chance to get out into the field and do what they do best, killing. See, they never really felt comfortable staying in one place. Even when they still lived in Sanctuary and had a small little abode to call their own, they never stayed long. It was always just a place to rest and refresh. Catch a few Z’s here, have a quick meal, take a quick shower and then continue on their way. They never stayed home for long.

But that was all before Rhys.

In the beginning of the their relationship their mindset had stayed the same. Even after accepting Rhys invitation to move in, they would stay home long enough to eat, sleep, bathe, maybe have some quick cuddle sessions, and then they were on to their next kill. Hell, they saw Rhys more in his office than they did at home.

But then the strangest thing happened. Whenever they were gone for too long, they would feel. . . empty. As if there were missing something. At first it was just slightly uncomfortable, but the longer they were away the more it hurt. While on missions Rhys would always call them or send texts if they were unable to talk. Those little interactions would somehow simultaneously ease the pain and make it hurt even more. However when they returned home to see Rhys’ excited face, not only would the pain disappear but it was replaced with such a large amount of love and adoration that all they wanted to do was spend time with Rhys.

When they discussed it with Maya and Axton one time, Axton had laughed at them before realizing they were serious. Upon that realization, Maya and Axton had exchanged glances. 

“It’s because you miss him.” Maya explained.

“You know, because you love him.” Axton added. “You do love the kid right?”

Zer0 had nodded, they had already known that for a long time.

Maya then hesitantly asked. “Have you never missed anyone before?”

Zer0 had to think about it before responding. “I have, but I have / not experienced it like / this. It’s unnerving.”

Axton laughed again. “I forget that this is your first partner. You’re basically experiencing every teenage first love scenario as an adult. God that is both hilarious and sad I can’t-” At this point Axton had his face on the table in front of them, unable to control his laughter.

Zer0 gave a **[ >:(]** in response.

Maya tried to hide her quick chuckle as best as she could. “What Axton means is, if you have more questions like this you can come to us anytime. Or maybe just me next time, I can’t guarantee any advice out of him will be helpful.” She muttered slapping the Commando on the back of the head.

“Ow!”

“Point is,” Maya continued, “what you are feeling is completely normal. It just means you don’t want to be apart from him for too long. Some distance in a relationship can be a good thing, but not making time for each other can be stressful for both parties, remember that.”

After that conversation, Zer0 had made an active effort to go on less missions and spend more time at home. Surprisingly, the usual stir crazy feeling they felt dissipated. They still had some moments of being antsy, but for the most part being home felt more comfortable than it ever had. Rhys seemed to appreciate the extra attention as well.

As time went on, their need to stay home increased, but they still never hesitated when a mission came up. Killing was still one of their favorite past times after all.

That thought brought them back to the present. It was 5:00am, they had a mission with Maya, Axton and Krieg and then didn’t want to get up.

They turned back over in bed to see Rhys staring at them with sleepy eyes. It was very clear that he was still tired.

“Are you leaving?” He asked laying fully on his right side. Rhys waited a moment for Zer0 to turn on their communicator. They had an implant which allowed any thoughts they choose to emulate into human speech patterns. Their actual voice which Rhys had claimed to love did not have the full capacity to speak as humans did. They could force their voice to make coherent words at times (They remembered the time they said Rhys name brokenly and he yelped in excitement) however saying full sentences was difficult. They usually turned it off at night due to the embarrassing realization (pointed out by Rhys of course) that they talk in their sleep.

“I have a mission.” It wasn’t a yes or no answer and Rhys seemed to have caught on.

“With Axton right?” Rhys asked grabbing one of Zer0’s hands with his left one. His right arm was on it’s docking port, leaving his shoulder port bare.

“Yes, Maya and Krieg will be / attending as well.”

“Hmm.” Rhys hummed rubbing the palm of Zer0’s hand with his thumb causing the assassin to melt. “Is it important?”

Zer0 knew what he was asking. “. . . Not really. Just a/ mission picked up by Axton. / He asked us to join.” 

Rhys looked up into their eyes. “Soooo that means you don’t need to go right?”

They did this dance any time Zer0 had an early morning mission and didn’t slip out while the former Hyperion employee was still sleeping. In cases like this, Zer0 would always end up going anyway. Sometimes, if Rhys was really persistent they would stay for an extra 30 minutes or so, but never anything more than that.

Today Zer0 felt differently.

“No, I suppose not.” Zer0 stated, reaching over to the night stand to grab their Echo.

Rhys blinked, still a bit groggy before sitting up quickly. “Wait, just like that?”

Zer0 nodded. “Yes, just like that. Why? Surprised?” They asked after sending a message to the three other vault hunters that they would not be coming with them. They were confident they would be fine without them.

“Pleasantly surprised.” Rhys added with a yawn. He grabbed Zer0 and brought them back down to lay with him. “Zer0 skipping a mission? Are you really my datefriend? Did someone replace you in the middle of the night?”

“I can change my mind.”

“Noooo shhhh.” Rhys whined, already half asleep. “It’s too late you already canceled. We will. . . celebrate. . . confetti and shit. . .” Rhys muttered eyes slipping closed as he held the assassin close to him, his head buried underneath their neck.

Zer0 couldn’t help the small laugh the escaped their communicator. They turned it off once again before slipping back to sleep next to their boyfriend.

Zer0’s eyes shot open hours later to find their boyfriend missing. They were surprised they slept through the movement, what was with them today? They looked at the clock. 10:00am. Rhys usually leaves for work around 9, he probably left already. Zer0 feels kind of annoyed they didn’t get a chance to say goodbye, but it was their own fault for sleeping in so long. 

They heard movement from outside the door and began reaching for their sword underneath the bed on instinct. They paused however, when they saw Rhys holding a tray of food.

Zer0 tilted his head, clearly confused. 

“I took off work!” Rhys stated as if reading the other’s mind. He brought over the tray of food to the bed and sat it on Zer0’s lap.

Zer0’s helmet wasn’t on their head, but it was on the nightstand. They turned on their communicator implant again and a question mark displayed on their helmet. **[?]**

Rhys grinned. “Are you kidding me? We finally have a day to ourselves! This never happens! Vaughn and Yvette will be fine without me for a day. I think.” 

Zer0 was sure it would be okay. They weren’t close with either Vaughn or Yvette but they knew they were both very capable people. “And you made breakfast?”

Rhys nodded. “Yeah! I mean you do so much for me all the time and with our schedules we never have time for romantic stuff like this. I mean, the last romantic thing we did was when I asked you to accompany me to that abandoned Atlas building to find some old weapon specs and there happened to be an entire field of a flowers right out a romantic comedy movie right next to the base. My point is, we don’t really have time to just, be a couple I guess. I know it’s stupid but, I like doing dumb couples stuff with you sometimes. I don’t know, I guess that’s pretty sappy huh?” Rhys laughed nervously.

“It is.” Zer0 confirmed. “But I love it.” **[ <3]**

Rhys’ eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yes.” Zer0 took a bite. “It is very good.” **[:)]**

Rhys gave a sigh of relief. “Good, awesome. I could never replicate your cinnamon bun recipe, but I figured I couldn’t go wrong with bacon and eggs.”

“You didn't even burn it. I’m impressed.” **[:D]**

“Hey! I’m not that bad at cooking!”

“You’re not great.” **[:)]** Rhys pouted in response. “You’re not eating?” 

Rhys shook his head at their question. “No, I already ate, I just really wanted to give you breakfast in bed.”

“I’m swooning. ” **[:O]** Zer0 dramatically placed a hand to their forehead to reiterate their comment.

Rhys snorted and nudged them. “You’re so goofy!”

“As are you. You’ve been staring at me eat the entire time.” Zer0 pointed out.

Rhys’ face began heating up. “It’s because I love the way you eat! It’s so cute.”

“Assassins are not suppose to be cute.“ **[ >:(]**

“But you’re cute! Like when you eat and when you drop your haikus when talking to me and when you speak with me using your voice, and when you make those cute chirping noises, and when-”

Zer0 placed one of their hands on Rhy’s mouth. “Please stop.” Zer0 asked, their hlement displaying a blush emoticon **[ >////<]**

“And that! That’s like, 100% cute!” Rhys said removing the other’s hand from his mouth. To be fair, Zer0 wasn’t trying that hard to actually silent him. 

“You’re very embarrassing. Remind me why I am dating you again?”

Rhys smiled.” Because you love me.” He said, reiterating the fact by sneaking a kiss on Zer0’s mouth.

“Oh is that it?” Zer0 joked earning another nudge from Rhys. “I do suppose I love you. A lot.”

Rhys smile softened. “I love you too.” His voice was filled with so much love it almost made Zer0 want to shy away. Instead their helmet displayed **[ >////<] **again. “Anyway we have the whole day together! What do you want to do?”

 **[. . . ]** Zer0 put hand to their chin in thought before displaying. **[8==D]** and **[(*)]** back to back, earning a flick from their partner this time. “We did that last night.” Rhys commented.

Zer0 laughed. “Let’s make fun of some bad romantic comedies.”

“Yes!” Rhys yelled pumping his fist in the hair. “You are the best date friend ever I swear.” 

“I try.”

The couple spent the rest of the day together, doing stupid nerd stuff and being cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Hope you enjoyed! Quick headcannons I have to explain anything that may have been confusing.
> 
> -Zer0 is able to communicate through communication implant that allows them to pick what thoughts to say outloud and it will translate into actual listenable language. This communicator is connected to their helmet which allows them to do emoticons. When their communicator is off their helmet does not display emoticons.
> 
> -Since Zer0 actively chooses which thoughts to say and what to keep to themself, them “talking in their sleep” is their thoughts and dreams just unconsciously coming through their communicator, which is why they now turn it off at night.  
> My headcannon appearance for Zer0 is basically the way their suit is shaped is pretty much 100% accurate to the way they look except they have leathery skin. Their face has a mouth with very sharp teeth and they have four bright red eyes. 
> 
> -At this point Rhys and Zer0 have been dating for a while so Zer0 takes off their suite when sleeping next to Rhys, however they still leave it on in most scenarios, even when just walking around the house.
> 
> -Zer0 will drop his haiku based speech sometimes. Mostly if he’s really surprised by something or super comfortable around a person.
> 
> That's it I think! Once again, if you see any pronouns slip ups please let me know immediately!


	3. Zer0's Suffering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Zer0 gets hurt and is a huge baby about it. Rhys helps comfort them.

Rhys was in his home workshop tinkering with a new gun prototype for Atlas. He had gained inspiration from his inability to aim and was currently trying to work an a line of Atlas guns that would track enemy movements so all the user had to do was fire. He had hit a snag in his last testing session and couldn’t stop thinking about the stupid prototype. Even now it was his day off and he was still tinkering with the damn thing. He wished his busy mind would allow him to leave things alone, but it didn’t seem like that would happen today.

All of a sudden he heard a faint banging noise. Banging? Where the heck was that coming from? He put down his tools for a moment to open his workshop door. Doing say made the sound increase in volume, in which Rhys realized someone was banging on his front door. Rhys checked his watch and looked at the time. 7pm. It wasn’t terribly late but usually anyone he knew would at least call before coming over at this time. The only person who would usually come unannounced was Zer0, but at this point in their relationship they usually just walked in. He looked to see if he had received any messages and he noticed several calls from. . . Maya? Why was she calling? Before he got a chance to check any of the voicemails she left the banging on the door got more aggressive. Rhys was sure it would break at any moment. “I’m coming I’m coming!” He yelled running to the door. He checked the peep hole real quick just to be safe. There he saw Maya as he suspected but she was holding Zer0? He quickly opened the door.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t home.” Maya comment letting herself in as she held Zer0 bridal style in her arms. Damn she was stronger then she looked. “You didn’t answer any of my calls so I was prepared to break in.”

“Sorry.” Rhys apologized, glad that he didn't have to repair a broken door. “I usually turn all forms of communication off when I’m in my workshop so I can focus.”

“Put me down. This is / embarrassing.” Zer0 muttered. Rhys raised an eyebrow at Zer0’s lack of effort to finish their own haiku. It wasn’t uncommon for them to drop the attempt all together, but it felt different this time. 

“Are they okay?” Rhys asked worry now apparent on his face.

Maya rolled her eyes as she not so gracefully dropped Zer0 onto the couch. They make a sound in annoyance but didn’t say much else. “Yes their fine, they are just being a drama queen.”

Rhys crouched near Zer0. “What happened?”

Maya shrugged. “They got slashed up pretty bad in the stomach.” Maya pointed at the cut in their suit that Rhys was for some reason noticing just now. 

“What!?” 

“It’s fine. Admittedly it was a pretty fatal wound at first but I was able to heal it- well most of it. “ She sighed in frustration. “The blade they were slashed with was laced with poison so I wasn’t able to heal them completely. Right now it’s just a minor scratch. It definitely hurts but not as much as Zer0 is milking it. They have had worse!” Maya yelled at them causing Zer0 to dramatically put a hand to their helmet.

“I am dying. Words / are difficult. I can barely / count syllables now.” They paused. “See I messed up.”

This was a lot to take in for Rhys poor heart. “Wait so you said poison didn’t you? Are they really dying?” Rhys tried to keep tears from welling up in his eyes. All the things he hasn’t said yet. All the stuff he wanted to do with them. He wanted them to still take a vacation with him. He wanted to convince them to try ice cream. He wanted-

“They aren’t dying.”

“Oh thank god.” Rhys let out a sigh of relief.

Maya shrugged. “Yeah turns out they are completely fine on the poison front. Normally that type of poison at that dosage would have killed a human but well, you know.” Maya gave a vague gesture with her hand as if that somehow represented ‘Zer0 is an alien!’, but Rhys still understood what she meant. “The only thing wrong with them is that they are a little sore and the poison is causing them to experience intoxication like symptoms.” 

Ah, things were beginning to make sense. “Okay um, just to clarify. I mean I know you said it already but you’ve also said a lot of things that to a non vault hunter like me sound super fucking alarming, they’re not dying right? Just in a weird intoxication type state?” Rhys asked.

Maya smiled. “Exactly. I want to apologize about bringing them over like this. I was going to take them back to Sanctuary but they insisted they come here.”

Rhys gulped. “R-really?” 

Maya nodded. “Yeah it was annoying. Like, super annoying. I told them ‘I’m sure Rhys has better things to do then to listen to you whine and complain the whole time’ but then they threw a tantrum. Then they started screaming about how much they liked you and- Ow fuck!” Maya held their side and moved away from the couch. Zer0 had just kicked her.

“You know you can leave now.” Zer0 said. It sounded more like a threat.

Maya rolled her eyes. “You don’t scare me Zer0. Just for that, when you ‘sober up’ I’m telling Rhys about all the embarrassing things you’ve said today.” She looked at Rhys, clearly annoyed. “They’re your problem now.” 

“Ah huh um o k-kay.” Rhys was still reeling from the information that was thrown at him. Zer0 wanted to see him that badly, and the idea that Zer0 had thrown a tantrum when they didn’t get what they wanted. He kinda wanted to see it. 

He shouldn’t be surprised that Zer0 wanted to visit him. They had been dating for some time now so it’s only logical that you would want to see the person your dating after a near death experience. Rhys just couldn’t help the fact he that he was still wowed that Zer0 for some reason liked him and was dating him and wanted to see him and-

“If they start breaking stuff, call me. Otherwise, don’t.” Maya clearly had her daily dose of Zer0 for the day.

“Uh yeah okay got it!” and with that she was out the door.

“I don’t throw tantrums.” Zer0 stated as soon as she left. 

Rhys smiled to himself. That sounds like something someone who throws tantrums would say. “Okay.”

Zero shifted their head to look at him. “I’m serious. I don’t.” **[(︶^︶)]**

Rhys kneeled down in front of the couch again. “I know, I believe you.” He turned his attention to the hole in their suit which revealed his scar. “Does it hurt?”

“Yes, very much so.” Zer0 attempted to emphasize their pain by making a groaning sound but it didn’t translate well with their communicator so it just sounded like static. 

Rhys looked determined to assist. “How can I help? Do you want some ice? I can put ice on it.” He paused. “Does ice reduce swelling for you?” 

Zer0 shook their head. “No, opposite. Heat.” Heat? Did he have anything that could generate heat for them? “Oh! Hold on I’ll be right back!” Rhys ran into his bedroom and pulled out a chest from underneath his bed. He opened it and quickly shuffled through it’s contents. An old photo album, his first binder- ah here it was! He grabbed what he was looking for and pushed the chest back underneath the bed. He brought the item back to the living room and Zer0 looked at him with a slight tilt to their head. **[ ? ]**.

“It’s a heating pad!” Rhys exclaimed as he plugged it into the nearest socket. “I use to get really bad cramps underneath my stomach and this always worked wonders for me.” He pressed it against Zer0’s wound causing the vault hunter to flinch away slightly. “Sorry! I’ll be more careful.” He gently placed the heating pad on Zer0’s wound this time. They didn’t flinch away.

“Anything else?”

“Water. Please.”

“Right!” Rhys ran into the kitchen and got Zer0 a cup of water quickly bringing it back. When he tried to hand it to them, they made no effort to grab it.

“I’m just, so weak.” **[T_T]** to try and prove their weakness, they attempted to raise their arm but it just fell back into their lap. 

Rhys tried really hard not to laugh. “Uh. So you can’t lift your arms now?” 

Zer0 shook their head. “Poison spreading. My limbs feel fuzzy. Like. . . “ They tried to remember that phrase that humans always use. “Jam.”

Rhys accidently let a snort slip through. “Do you mean jelly?”

“Yes, that.”

Rhys really tried to keep it together but a small fit of laughter came out.

 **[T_T]** “This is serious.” Zer0 complained. 

“Yes of course! I’m sorry.” Rhys consoled, a few giggles escaping. “Can you lift your head for me please?”

“I don’t know if I can manage.” 

Rhys placed the water on the end table next to the couch. “What a shame, I was going to have your head rest in my lap and try to-” Before Rhys can finish Zer0’s head immediately shot up giving Rhys space to sit down. “Wow you did it!” Rhys exclaimed with fake excitement.

“It took all my willpower.” **[´-﹏-`；]**

“Right.” Rhys sat down and Zer0 immediately placed their head in his lap. Rhys hand gently tapped on the glass of Zer0’s face to which they responded with **[｡ >﹏<｡]** “Can I take this off?” Rhys had seen Zer0’s face before, but they still didn’t feel comfortable being without their helmet all the time yet.

Zer0 was quiet for a moment. “Yes.”

Rhys gave them a gentle smile that made Zer0’s heart feel like it was going to beat out of their chest. “Thank you.” With that Rhys released the two clasps that resided on each side of their face. They gently pulled off the glass in the front and placed it on the end table. Rhys paused, staring into the four red eyes that were looking back at him. Now was not the time to get embarrassed! “I’m going to sit you up a bit okay?” Rhys used his hands to sit Zer0 up a bit more so that they wouldn’t choke.

“This is what you wanted right?” Rhys asked gently placing the water to Zer0’s lips so that they could drink. Zer0 placed one of the hands that they supposedly couldn't move because they felt like ‘jam’ on Rhy’s thigh to anchor themselves as they slowly drank from the cup in Rhys hands.

It was a simple gesture, one any person would be willing to do for their loved one while they were sick or in pain. Still this moment felt. . . intimate. Super intimate. Rhys let out a quiet yelp as Zer0 tightened the grip on his thigh. Fuck he could feel his heartbeat banging on his ear drums. The steady rhythm of it seemed to radiate throughout his whole body. He wondered if Zer0 could hear it too. He wondered if Zer0 was having the same problem or if he was overthinking it.

Zer0 began to pull away from the cup but Rhys wasn’t paying attention and accidentally spilled some on their face. “Fuck! Sorry.” He quickly put the cup back on the nightstand and tried to get up. “Let me get you a napkin-”

Zer0 stopped him. “It’s fine.” 

It was silent. It wasn’t awkward necessarily but it felt like something unresolved was in the air. Zer0 had begun staring at him, or did he start staring at Zer0? He didn’t know for sure. They stayed like that for a moment and Rhys felt antsy. “Do. . .do you want anything else?” He asked.

“I want. . . “ Zer0 stopped themselves. They seemed confused, or rather, concerned. Maybe worried? A frustrated chirping noise came from their lips, not their translator this time. They glanced back at the water and then looked at Rhys again. “Drinking is hard. You should siphon the water into my mouth with yours.” 

A beat of silence, and then Rhys burst out into laughter. He didn’t know why he got so nervous. He always put Zer0 on this petesdal because they were this cool ass vault hunter. He often thought that he wasn’t good enough for them, and that he was a nuisance to ask for things. 

But moments like these brought him back into reality. Zer0 was for sure a cool ass vault hunter, but at the end of the day he was also just Zer0. His nerdy awkward datefriend who loved him. 

“I am not spitting water into your mouth, that’s gross.” Zer0 looked mildly disappointed “Can I kiss you instead?” Zer0 perked up and nodded vigorously. Clearly this is what they actually wanted.

Rhys leaned in and gave Zer0 a gentle peck on their mouth. Their lips were a bit rougher than his own but Rhys always appreciated the contrast in the sensation. Zer0’s jam hands (Rhys was never letting them live that down) caressed Rhys face, bringing him in closer.

When Rhys parted for air, Zer0 attempted to dive in for more, but Rhys stopped him. Zer0 gave a chirp whine in protest. “I don’t know Zer0 you still seem pretty week, I don’t want to stress your body out to much~” Rhys teased.

Zer0 gave him a deadpan look before standing and stretching their legs. “I feel better already.”

Rhys bit his lip to die down his laughter. “Looks like a miracle to me.” 

“Yes. Miracle.” Rhys screeched as Zer0 picked him up and brought him to the bedroom where the two proceeded to make out for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another prompt finished!


End file.
